Stocks fell in morning trading Friday and Wall Street is veering toward its fifth straight weekly loss. The S&P 500 fell 0.6%. The index, which is a benchmark for the broader market's health, is facing its worst weekly losing streak in nearly two years.

The stock market has fallen fast over the past month. Business and consumer sentiment is souring, and investors are afraid that economic data will soon start to show deeper cracks.

Global shares were mixed Wednesday ahead of a decision on interest rates by the U.S. Federal Reserve. France's CAC 40 inched up less than 0.1% in early trading to 8,117.25, while the German DAX shed 0.